


Magenta Skies

by MotherRameses



Series: Faralani Faralani Faralani! [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: F/F, Faro gets her promotion!, First Dates, Fluff, Making Out, Sneaky Ar'alani, Treason spoilers, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-06 22:49:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20514779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MotherRameses/pseuds/MotherRameses
Summary: Faro has been given the 11th fleet and returns to Coruscant to finally accept her promotion. Little does she know that her favorite admiral is on Coruscant as well...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> God I have it SO, SO BAD for these two. Is it a stretch for Ar'alani to go to Coruscant? Yes. Do I care? Nope.
> 
> Also, when I chatted with Zahn back in August, he said Faro would have been made an Admiral, so yay!

“Congratulations, _ Admiral _ Faro.”

That phrase - _ Admiral Faro! _ \- was still bouncing around in her head as Faro walked down the long, sterile corridors of High Command, a definite spring in her step. She had already gone through her command-orientation (a process that took a bit longer than usual, since fleet admirals usually commanded a task force beforehand) and had taken charge of her new Star Destroyer, the _ Revelation_, some weeks ago. It had been a busy few weeks, and while she had already been doing the duties of an admiral, it was nice to finally get to Coruscant for her promotion ceremony. 

“Congrats, _ admiral!_” Faro felt a friendly punch on her shoulder, and turned to see Pyrondi grinning at her. 

“Same to you, _ captain_.” Faro grinned back, happy for her friend. She gave her a playful shoulder check, almost sending her into another newly-christened captain walking beside them. A handful of other officers had received promotions at the ceremony, thanks to Grand Admiral Savit’s treachery. After a thorough inquiry had found him guilty, there had been a fair amount of shuffling among the ranks; apparently High Command felt it fit to take care of this handful of promotions in one fell swoop. 

Not that Faro minded - it was nice to see Pyrondi again, and learn that the fiery former first weapons officer was to take Faro’s place on the _ Chimaera. _

“Got any plans to celebrate?” Pyrondi asked, eyes twinkling. 

Faro chuckled. “Are you looking for a party, or asking me to tag along?”

Pyrondi shrugged noncommittally, a mischievous smile crossing her face. “I’m meeting up with some old academy buddies later, if you want to come. We’re going to the club district later tonight.”

“Do they all… celebrate as hard as you?” Faro asked, returning the grin. Pyrondi was notorious for both her tolerance, and her enthusiasm when it came to kicking back on leave. 

Pyrondi shrugged again, grinning even wider. “Maybe.”

Faro shook her head, chuckling. “I’ll send you a message if I’m feeling up to it. I’m still not sure if I’ve fully recovered from Corellia.”

“I haven’t either, but you know I can’t say no to a party. I’ll keep my comm close.” Pyrondi assured her as they stepped into the mild Coruscant afternoon. 

There was about an hour of daylight left, with the sky slowly turning a brilliant pink as the sun made its leisurely way to the horizon. It was often said that no one noticed the sunsets on Coruscant, but Faro always felt that wasn’t true - they were stunning if you took the time to look, and Faro always did. The city-planet’s climate control meant that there were usually a handful of puffy white clouds gracing the glittering sky, speeders and yachts and freighters shimmering as they raced across the planet. The shadows cast by the towering skyscrapers painted long, magenta lines as the sun fell, the pockets of color steadily deepening to rich violets and navies as night took hold. 

“Are you in the barracks?” Pyrondi asked, cutting into her thoughts.

“No,” Faro asked, tugging her eyes from the horizon to her friend. “I’ve got a little apartment I keep up. Rent controlled,” she added, noticing Pyrondi’s look of surprise.

“Ah,” Pyrondi said. “Lucky. For a second, I wondered if they skimped on my raise.”

Faro barked a laugh. “Check again, regardless. They’re always cutting corners.”

“That they are,” Pyrondi said with a sigh. “Speaking of saving money, I’m catching the speeder-pool back to the barracks. Maybe see you later?”

“I’ll keep you posted.”

With a friendly nod, Pyrondi turned and jogged to catch up with the other newly-christened officers, and Faro found herself alone as she walked to the train station. There was hardly a need to own a speeder, what with how little time she actually spent on Coruscant, but Faro could never quite convince herself to end the lease on her apartment. It was an excellent location, two stops down from High Command, and one stop from a transfer station that could take her almost anywhere she wanted. Plus, it was nice to have a place all to herself. 

As she settled into her seat on the train, Faro’s datapad pinged at her. At the sound, she felt her heart give a little jump. Her datapad pinged at her all the time, the colors her mind assigned to the various tones a steady, multi-colored backdrop to her busy days. But that ping - the short burst of a soft, muted pink - could only be one person. 

Admiral Ar’alani. 

Furtively, Faro glanced around as she pulled out her datapad. Ar’alani always wrote her in Sy Bysti, but Faro was careful to watch for prying eyes before she opened the messages. Keeping up a running correspondence with an admiral of an unknown alien military wasn’t the most kosher thing for a commodore-- _ admiral_, to do, and Faro knew High Command would not be happy to learn of it. 

Still, Faro always replied. She had never met anyone like Ar'alani in her life. Whip smart, sharp tongued, a cunning warrior, yes, but also with a desperately kind heart. The sort of heart one could only find amongst those who had seen what the power of a gentle word or a comforting hand could do in the face of paralyzing fear. Faro had found what she liked to think of as a kindred spirit in Ar’alani. They had both faced terrible, terrible things in their lives - civilians murdered by marauding pirates, planets torn apart by war, innocents suffering for no reason other than being unlucky enough to exist in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

But they had both also seen what good could come from their service in their respective militaries. Underground slave rings broken up, aid brought to civilizations in need, order established on struggling worlds. For all its trials and tribulations, it was a rewarding life. 

And finally, Faro found someone she felt she could share that with. 

Finding no one peering over her shoulder, Faro keyed open the message and immediately frowned. 

_ <”Are you on Coruscant?”> _

An odd question. While Faro and Ar’alani had been careful to not give their exact locations away, lest their communications be compromised and troop movements of either military deduced, Faro had felt it safe enough to tell Ar’alani of her upcoming promotion ceremony. It was an event open to the public, after all, and easily searchable in the public record. So if Ar’alani already knew where she was, why was she asking? Could this be some sort of trap? Faro shuddered as a dark thought occurred to her. Were the Grysks trying to track her down?

Well. The ceremony was over and done with. If it was the Grysks, they would already know where she was. Might as well be honest, and try to figure out what was going on. 

<”Yes. Why?”>

Faro sent the message, and immediately received a response.

_ <”I would like to see you.”> _

Her breath caught in her throat. This was most definitely a trap. Ar’alani? Here? In the center of the Empire? Unthinkable. 

Faro stared down at the message, possible scenarios running through her mind. She could ignore the message, and immediately make for the shuttle platform - she couldn’t alert the authorities to what was going on, not without admitting to her mildly treasonous correspondence and endangering Ar’alani in the process. Hells, she wasn’t even sure if the Navy had taken Thrawn’s warnings about the Grysk threat seriously. But if she could make it off planet in time, stall a bit, she could send an encrypted message to Thrawn…

Yet as that idea danced in her mind, she felt a cold tendril of fear curl in her gut. If this was the Grysks, and they were _ here, _ on _ Coruscant, _ who was to say they wouldn’t try some sort of attack on the planet? Aside from Thrawn, Faro was the next most familiar with their tactics. She needed to stay here. 

She looked down at the message again, thinking about the Grysk tactics she had already seen… No. They weren’t planning an attack - that was too bold. They preferred quiet infiltration into enemy territory. At most, they had to be trying to get Faro alone, to kidnap or possibly kill her. And if she jumped planet, that would play right into their hands. It was much easier to take a shuttle in the darkness of space, to shoot it down and leave no trace of its existence. 

No… If they wanted to take Faro, they would have to work for it. 

Making up her mind, Faro typed a reply. <”Meet me at the train station. I’m heading there now.”>

As Faro disembarked at the station, allowing herself to be buffeted by the rush-hour throng, she did her best to quell the fear roiling in her gut. All her senses were on high alert, ears pricked and eyes sharp for anything out of place. If the Grysks were going to try and take her here, she was going to put up a hell of a fight. Throw punches at bystanders, cause a scene, make it _ known _ what was going on. Word would get back to Thrawn, and he would understand. 

Faro made her way to a food vendor’s stall, tucked off to the side of the station. It was doing a steady business, and had a nice corner she could tuck herself against to protect her back. She scanned the crowd, heart skipping whenever she saw an unfamiliar alien. But no one approached her, and her unease grew even further. If they were watching her, they could follow her - to her apartment, to the shuttle platform, to… stars knew where. They could be biding their time, having seen her plan and countering it by altering their own. 

She again searched the crowd, blood pounding in her ears, when she finally saw it. There, off to her left, a tall figure was making their casual way towards her. They wore a maroon cloak, hood pulled low, not fighting the waning rush-hour crowd. They moved from one clump of pedestrians to another, each time sidling closer to Faro’s position.

Faro stood rooted to the spot, heart pounding. Should she run? Should she cry out? _ Damn _ that she didn’t have her blaster on her! But before she could make a decision, it was too late, the figure was _ right there _ and--!

“Admiral.” The figure stopped a few feet in front of her and lowered their hood, and Faro felt the blood leave her face. 

It was Ar’alani. 

Faro slumped against the side of the stall, not believing her eyes. Ar’alani wore a maroon tunic, matching her long cloak, and had her hair coiled in an elaborate set of braids atop her head. She had painted some faint yellow designs on her cheeks and forehead, likely to further persuade observers that she was some variant of Pantoran. Her lips twitched in a small smile, and Faro, already shaky from the adrenaline running in her veins, felt her knees go weak.

She was stunning.

“I… I didn’t think it was really you,” Faro said with an effort, pushing herself off the stall and closing the distance between them. “I thought this was a trap.”

Ar’alani’s smile slipped off her face. “I’m sorry,” she said, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Faro’s shoulder. “I did not mean to cause you alarm.”

“It’s fine,” Faro said, reaching up to squeeze her hand. Now that the danger had passed, she could feel confused elation replacing her fear. “Why are you here?”

The small smile was back. “I cannot tell you, though it does concern _ Ensign _ Ronan,” Ar’alani said wryly, leaning on the former assistant director’s new rank. “But I have some free time, and thought it could be better spent with you.”

Faro returned the wry grin. So Ar’alani was on some sort of clandestine mission? Not surprising, considering all that had transpired. Ar’alani’s outfit was perfectly in line with the rest of Coruscant fashion, which was surprising considering how quickly those fashion whims changed. Either she had been to Coruscant before, or she wasn’t the first Chiss besides Thrawn to set foot here. 

“How much time do you have?” Faro asked. Was this going to be just a quick hello? Or would they have time to…? Faro didn’t let her mind follow that thought. Not if she didn’t want to blush like a schoolgirl.

“I’m due to return tomorrow morning,” Ar’alani said, lifting her cloak slightly to reveal the small bag strapped to her side. “After that, my mission will take me away from Coruscant.”

Faro’s heart soared. So much time! Far more than they’d ever had on the _ Chimaera_, and far more than she could have hoped for now. Hells, Faro had half-resigned herself to never seeing Ar’alani in the flesh again - with the lives they led, that was a distinct possibility. But now, this… This was a gift. 

“In that case, would you like to drop your bag off at my apartment and join me for dinner? I had hoped to celebrate my promotion, after all, and I’d be honored if you would join me.” Faro hadn’t intended for the words to tumble out in a rush, but she couldn’t help it. 

Ar’alani’s eyes twinkled. “I would love to, Admiral Faro.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This really is just self-indulgent fluff. I hope ya'll enjoy it! I know I'm having fun!
> 
> Special thanks to Chaos_Monkey for tone/pacing advice! If you haven't checked out their stuff, do yourself a favor and look 'em up!!

Faro still couldn’t quite believe  _ Ar’alani _ was walking beside her as they made their way out of the train station to Faro’s apartment building. She resisted the urge to sneak glances at the admiral as they walked, not wanting to draw undue attention to her. Then again, on Coruscant, Ar’alani hardly stood out. She had pulled her hood low as they left the station, and with the tips of the yellow designs on her cheeks just barely peeking out from the hood, passerby likely assumed she was Pantoran. No one spared them a second glance, and Faro found herself relieved for that. 

Still, they didn’t speak until they had safely absconded to Faro’s apartment. 

“How was the ceremony?” Ar’alani asked, shrugging off her cloak and placing it on a hook by the door. 

“It was good. Pyrondi got promoted to captain, and is replacing me on the  _ Chimaera.” _ Faro said as she crossed to the kitchen and got them both glasses of water. Her apartment was small, with a tidy kitchen right by the door. Opposite it was a combined dining and living area with a modest dinner table and a comfortable couch along one wall. She nodded to the couch, inviting Ar’alani to join her. Faro had arranged the space so the couch faced her favorite part of her apartment - the large picture-window that made up the opposite wall. 

If Faro was being completely honest with herself, it wasn’t just the location that made her want to keep the small apartment. She had been lucky enough to get a unit on the outside of the building, the side that faced the sunset. Really, if the building’s owners valued Coruscant sunsets more, she shouldn’t be able to afford the place. But they were the sort of people that contributed to Coruscant’s busy-city reputation, and didn’t seem to factor the view into their rent cost.

Ar’alani joined Faro on the couch, following her gaze out onto the bustling ecumenopolis. They sat there in silence for a moment, watching the traffic in the waning daylight. 

“So many beings,” Ar’alani murmured. She took a pensive sip of her drink, then turned her eyes to Faro. “Can the Empire truly serve them all?”

Faro shrugged. “I’ve asked myself that before. When we go to worlds that don’t welcome our presence, or when I hear about people we’ve failed, either through inaction or bad luck.” She turned her gaze from the sunset to look at Ar’alani. “I don’t know. But I like to think we can.”

Ar’alani nodded, chewing on her words. After a moment, she spoke again. “Why do you seek high rank?”

Faro chuckled. A question they had asked each other before, during one of their message exchanges. One she had found difficult to answer at the time, but was glad for the discussion regardless. The benefits and burdens of command, of power. Of ambition and confidence and unsurety. There were several reasons, but since they had talked, Faro had realized it boiled down to one. 

“To help people. To prove to myself that I can. That I’m capable of doing the job.” Faro turned back to the window, gesturing with her glass to the thousands of speeders winking in the fading light. “If I fail them, then I’m failing the job.”

“But are they truly your people?” Ar’alani turned back to the window as well. “You call this your home, but you do not spend your time here. Why are they your people?”

“They’re citizens of the Empire,” Faro said, cocking her head in curiosity. This hadn’t come up in their earlier discussion. “I serve the Empire, so I must serve them. If they need help, it’s my duty to assist.”

“The Chiss are not citizens of your Empire,” Ar’alani said. “Yet you helped us in our battle against the Grysks. You returned our children to us, and risked our own life to draw them out from hiding.”

Faro frowned. “What do you mean? The Grysks are a threat to everyone; of course they needed to be driven back.” At the thought of the navigators they had rescued from Mokivj, her frown deepened. “And of course the girls should have been returned. Children stolen, turned into slaves…” Faro shuddered.

To Faro’s surprise, Ar’alani gave her a wry smile. “You are loyal to your Empire, Admiral Faro. But sometimes I wonder if you and your Empire have the same priorities.”

Faro opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again. That was a lot to unpack. 

“I’m sorry I brought it up,” Ar’alani said, sensing Faro’s discomfort. “It is not my place to do so, and I certainly do not wish to put a damper on your evening.”

Faro shook her head, chuckling. “I don’t think it’s possible for you to do that. Your being here is… I’m very happy to see you.” And that was true. Questions of the Empire’s intentions could wait - she and Ar’alani had only a limited amount of time, and Faro intended to make the most of it. “I had planned to go to dinner to celebrate, but if you want to stay in, I can whip something up.”

“Nonsense,” Ar’alani said briskly. “To ask you to cook when today is  _ your _ day is hardly fair. And besides, it will be nice to eat in an actual restaurant, and not a ship’s mess.”

“Very, very true.” Faro said. “And all I’ve got here is quick-prep. Give me a minute to change, and we can head out.” And as Faro rose from the couch, taking one more quick look out onto the sunset before her, she stopped short as a realization struck her.

The color Ar’alani’s message tone had taken in her mind was the same shade of pink gracing the Coruscant skyline. 

“Are you alright?” Ar’alani’s soft question made Faro realize she had frozen in front of the window. 

“I-- yes.” Faro turned back from the window to Ar’alani, and she couldn’t stop the small giggle that rose from her lips. Grinning, she crossed back to the couch and leaned down, catching Ar’alani’s lips for a quick kiss. It seemed to take Ar’alani by surprise - it was something they hadn’t done before, hadn’t had a chance to do, to kiss because the opportunity was there - but it made sense to Faro. They could do it now, if they wanted to. 

And Faro certainly wanted to.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Faro murmured before pulling away. “And I’m glad I can do this.”

“Then you should do it again,” Ar’alani said with a wry smile, catching Faro’s hand and pulling her back down. She caught Faro’s lips again, kissing her deeper than before, and Faro let Ar’alani pull her into her lap. Kissing Ar’alani was still something  _ new _ and  _ exciting _ to Faro, and it seemed every kiss they shared was different from the last. Their first had been a declaration, the one after that an expression of hope tinged with fear, the one after that nearly born of reckless abandon, and their last a quiet longing for more. And now this - this was nearly indulgent in comparison. 

Faro leaned into Ar’alani, straddling her hips and cupping her face in both hands, careful not to smudge the delicate false tattoos on her cheeks and losing herself in the sensation of Ar’alani’s lips on hers. Ar’alani smelled faintly of something floral, different from the basic,  _ clean _ scent Faro had picked up during previous kisses. Maybe locally bought shampoo, so as to better blend in? 

Faro wouldn’t put it past her. The Chiss was nothing if not thorough, and even if Faro was the only person to get close enough to do this, to smell whatever soap she used, to tangle her fingers in the loose braids crowning her head, to chase Ar’alani’s tongue with her own, Ar’alani would still be careful. 

The thought made Faro smile. If High Command would reprimand her for her clandestine communications with the Chiss admiral, they would have a collective stroke if they knew she was letting said admiral undo the sealing strip of her tunic and work her way under her tank top. Ar’alani’s cool palms wandered over the skin of her stomach and sides, leisurely exploring and setting goosebumps alight. 

But Ar’alani wouldn’t be here if she didn’t think it was safe to do so. Ar’alani knew better than anyone else the repercussions if she was discovered on Coruscant, least of all discovered consorting with Faro. And it was that knowledge that made Faro trust her, relax against her, allow the Chiss to tug her tunic off her shoulders and toss it aside. Ar’alani had even agreed to go out to dinner, to be seen in public with Faro. She knew whatever cover the Chiss had devised was solid. 

It was the thought of dinner that made Faro pull back slightly. “As much as I’m enjoying this,” Faro muttered, closing her eyes as Ar’alani nipped at her collarbone, arching her back and hissing as Ar’alani’s teeth grazed her skin, “We ought to get going if we want to eat at a reasonable time.”

“Hmm. Pragmatic as always,” Ar’alani muttered, taking her time as she worked her way up Faro’s neck back to her mouth. She was being careful not to leave marks, merely leaving a trail of kisses along her skin, and Faro found herself oddly disappointed about that. It would be nice to have a tangible memory of this. 

Maybe they could find time for that later. 

“But you are right,” Ar’alani said after a final, lingering kiss that left Faro breathless. “Go change. I will wait here.”

“Of course.” Faro slid off Ar’alani’s lap, doing her best to ignore the fire that had pooled in her belly. She had half a mind to say to hell with dinner, and yank Ar’alani back to her bedroom with her. Stars knew she had dreamed about doing that for weeks. But one didn’t get promoted to admiral every day, and it would be nice to treat herself to dinner. It would be even nicer to have Ar’alani at her side for such. 

Faro quickly shed what was left of her uniform once in her bedroom, hurriedly flipping through her collection of formal civilian wear. She didn’t want anything too flashy, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to herself and Ar’alani. Would it be too trite to wear a little black dress on what was essentially their first date? Faro chuckled to herself, tugging the dress off the hanger. So much of their relationship was unconventional. It would be nice to indulge in a little normalcy. And besides, Faro kept up her combat stats - she knew she looked  _ good _ in that dress. 

Faro returned to the living room to find that Ar’alani had put her cloak back on, and that the garment was reversible. She had pulled the now-black hood back on, the cloak’s delicate maroon threading matching her tunic perfectly. 

“You look--”

“Stunning,” Ar’alani said, speaking at the same time as Faro and finishing her statement. The two women paused, then chuckled. 

“We make a fine pair, Admiral.” Faro said, stepping forward and adjusting the hood so it lay symmetrically. 

“That we do, Admiral.” Ar’alani offered Faro a wink and held out her arm. “Shall we?”

“Yes.” Faro grinned back, still not quite believing that Ar’alani was here. Despite her earlier fear that Ar’alani’s message was some threatening Grysk trap, today had turned out to be everything Faro could have hoped for. 

And as they stepped out of Faro’s apartment and made their way back down to the train station, the sun now completely set, Faro felt a sliver of excitement run through her. The night was still young, after all.


End file.
